


The Funeral

by impeccably_stressed



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Ben Kenobi (mentioned), Child Rey, Death, Gen, Han Solo (Mentioned) - Freeform, Luke Skywalker (Mentioned) - Freeform, Rey Kenobi, Teen Ben, can't you just feel the angst?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 10:46:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6467224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impeccably_stressed/pseuds/impeccably_stressed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben is not equipped to handle crying children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Funeral

“Ben?” His mother calls softly from the hallway.

He groans, slouching lower onto the couch, his head nearly touching the seat cushions. His eyes refuse to leave his phone. “I’m here!”

As she enters, the straight set of her mouth informs him that he’s replied a touch too loud.

Behind her, clutching his mother’s black dress is that little girl whom they had decided to sit next to his distraught Uncle Luke. _What a way to meet your new legal guardian_.

But the girl looks more bored than grief-stricken, as though her grandfather’s funeral were just a cloudy day. Granted, Ben doesn’t expect a six year old to understand the weight of her situation, even he was twice her age when his grandfather died.

She walks away from them to observe a pigeon cooing near the window, her back to his mother.

His mother comes closer, lowering her head and speaking softly. “Your uncle and I have to take care of some business with the will, it may take a while.” She glances at the girl, frowning briefly before looking back to him. “Take care of Rey.”

Ben huffs. “Why can’t Han do it?” He gives his mother a lopsided frown and turns to glare at the girl in question.

She’s touching the glass with her fingertips, frowning, and her eyes look shiny and wet. Ben glances out the window but can’t find the bird.

 _It left_ , he shrugs.

“ _Ben_.” His mother hisses at him and he immediately knows to turn to her.

He looks up at her and his spine tingles at the sight. Her chin is lifted, her lips are pursed, her eyes hooded and dark. He recoils, sitting straight up, mumbling an apology as he drops his gaze to the floor.

“ _Your father_ ,” she replies measuredly, hands on her hips, “had some business of his own to take care of.”

 _Fuck, he’s gone,_ Ben thinks, and he recalls hearing a mumbled apology and Uncle Luke’s quiet _thank you_ as Ben himself crept into the sitting room.

His mother crosses her arms and lowers her voice. “Do _not_ leave her alone. Do you understand?”

Ben nods stiffly.

“Good.” She clears her throat and readjusts her dress. “We’ll finish as soon as possible.”

His mother leaves.

The girl’s head whirls around as the door clicks shut. “Wait!” She moves to run after her but Ben grabs her arm before she can get very far.

“C’mere you little squirt,” he yanks her toward him on the couch. “She’ll be back soon.”

“No!” she shrieks and starts hitting him with her free arm until he grabs that one too.

“ _Stop_ _that_.”

His hands are big enough to hold an entire forearm, but she still struggles, planting her feet on the ground to wrench herself away from him. Ben wonders if she won’t just rip her arms off with all her effort, and soon enough she’s breathing heavily, tears springing at the corner of her eyes.

“Wait, _please_!” She cries toward the door and starts kicking Ben’s shins. He sits up.

“Jesus, calm down!” Ben wraps his arm around her torso to haul her into the air, but she just kicks wildly. After her heels land two solid hits to his thighs, he sets her down.

“ _Please!_ ” Her voice cracks. “Don’t go!” She leans away from him with all her weight.

“She’s coming back,” he says through clenched teeth.

Rey bites his arm.

“Fuck!” Ben hisses and shoves her away.

Rey lands facedown with a thud onto the rug and Ben’s whole body stiffens. A muffled warble rewches his ears and Ben is down on his knees in an instant. Her shoulders are starting shake and she digs her fingers into the rug until her knuckles are white. Ben’s stomach _lurches_.

 _Shit. Shit shit shit!_ Ben lowers his hand to touch her arm but pulls away at the last second.

Ben groans and runs a hand through his hair. “Um, uhhhh, I'm-I’m sorry for pushing you?”

She begins to sob more deeply, sounding as though she's drinking her weeping.

“I'm-I’m really sorry? For…For—”

She pushes herself up, ducks her head between her shoulders toward her chest and starts heaving.

“Fuck! _Shit!_ I’m sorry!”

Ben reaches out to her again but his hands only hover above Rey's trembling shoulders. Her arms shake with her weight, and before he can react she falls onto her face again, moaning deeply into the rug. 

Ben pulls his hands back to rub at his eyes with the pads of his palms. “Ah, fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.”

Ben sighs and slowly lowers a trembling hand onto her head, touching her gently with his fingerstips at first before lowering his palm to cup her head. He grimaces at first, but when she doesn’t pull away he slowly drags his hand down to the nape of her neck. Her shuddering begins to lessen, so he repeats the process.

Ben spends the next few minutes stroking her hair, like his mother used to, and soon her body lies completely still, but whimpering, beneath his hand.

Ben lowers himself onto his stomach and rests his head on his other arm to look at her.

He softens his voice. “Rey?”

She shifts onto her side toward him. She's sniffling more than crying now, but Rey’s face and eyes are still red. Her cheeks are smeared with tears, snot, and spittle. She still doesn't look at him.

Ben screws his eyes shut and sighs, shoving his face into the crook of his arm before turning back to her. He lifts his arm up to stroke her head again, but lets it fall onto her arm. Unbidden, he gently taps her arm with his knuckle, like his father used to.

 _Sorry, kid_.

Ben stops when Rey takes his hand in both of hers.

“Don’t leave me?”

He lies.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a creative writing assignment aimed at creating effective dialogue, but the only effectiveness I had was finally breaking through my six year hiatus of writing fanfic.
> 
> Knowing this, I hope you can forgive me for certain areas that seem...expository? I mean, as a modern au, establishing history is a given, but since I changed their names (well, kind of. Bens are a dime a dozen, I didn't even name Leia. Luke is arguably plausible. Even Rey can be stretched. But Han? Yeah, no.) I had to establish relationships as well, and that's why I'd like to apologize for any stiltedness you may have come across.
> 
> I may edit this later, so as to make it more...seamless, but knowing me, that's probably not gonna happen for another five years.
> 
> In any case, I appreciate any and all feedback. Even if it's a shiny li'l kudos! <3 Thanks for reading!
> 
> ___________________________
> 
> Follow me on my [tumblr](impeccably-stressed.tumblr.com)!


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